Methods for fast morphological image transforms using bitmapped binary images

In this paper we present new implementations for morphological binary image processing on a general-purpose computer, using a bitmap representation of binary images instead of representing binary images as bitplanes inserted in gray value images. The bitmap data representation is a very efficient one, both in terms of memory requirements and in terms of algorithmic efficiency because of the CPU operates on 32 pixels in parallel. The algorithms described in this paper are capable of performing the basic morphological image transforms using structuring elements of arbitrary size and shape. In order to speed up morphological operations with respect to commonly used, large, convex structuring elements, the logarithmic decomposition of structuring elements is used. Experiments indicate that the new algorithms are more than 30 times faster for pixelwise operations and about an order of magnitude faster for the basic morphological transforms than the fastest known software implementations.